The Transgression Acclimatization
by DanniiHey
Summary: This contains spoilers for the S8 season finale! This may also reference aired episodes for season 9. This will not touch taping reports. This takes place after "The Commitment Determination" which is episode 8x24! How will the gang deal with the events of the episode and how will everyone react to Sheldon's decision? Updated 26/5/15 Rating upped to "T"
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** _How can I ever not write a tag to what will be the most epic TBBT season finale ... ever? Fair warning, this will contain spoilers for as to now (April 2015) unaired episodes, including the season 8 finale. If you read this, you'll be spoiled. Hard. Ok? Cool!_

_I will sum the finale up like this: Holy crap on a cracker!_

_Notice that the words may not be the exact ones as are going to be used in the actual episode. But you'll get the picture._

_This is "The Transgression Acclimatization" which takes place after the epic season finale which is called "The Commitment Determination". Enjoy and please review if you find the time. Remember, English is not my native language but I do try._

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Warner Bros., CBS Television, Bill Prady, Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and all respective other rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

**The Transgression Acclimatization**

Closing the lid of his laptop slowly, Sheldon waited for the characteristic little clicking noise of the closing device to mark the end of his action and then sighed in discomfort and despair. What had he done now? He didn't understand the recent turn of events, despite Penny's attempts to enlighten him over and over again. It was Penny after all, right? What did Penny know?

Stunned and anxious as to what he had just heard from his girlfriend, he folded his hands in his lap and pondered about the implications this entire conversation may have on his own life and decisions. Still unable to fully process what had set her off this time, he sighed audibly. With the heels of his feet he pushed his office chair back slightly, exhaled once again and in the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of a little grey figurine standing on his what else to do next, he lifted his hand and tentatively brushed his index finger across the limited edition figurine of Gollum, in his mind the most tragic character in the Lord of the Rings saga. The figurine remained cool and unmoving under is touch, a strong contrast to Amy's delicate and warm flesh, her blushing cheeks and the strands of her hair that he loved to carefully place behind her hears when they loosened on their own free will. Oh Amy ...

Stroking the figurine one more time, he said: "Well, Gollum, you are the master of rings. What do I do with this?"  
The word 'now' hanging in the air like a nearing thunderstorm, his soul suddenly overcast by dark storm clouds. He pulled out a small, black, velvety jewelry box and twisted it in his right hand. He then reached for the clasp to open the small container to reveal a sparkly, delicate ring. So classy, so dapper, so Amy. If only he had gotten the chance ...

No. Not over the phone. 'That would not have been the best choice, Sheldon', he scolded himself internally and gritted his teeth. No, not smart at all. If only he still new what smart meant when it came to his girlfriend. He was starting to lose his juju.

She hadn't known. Of course she couldn't have known. In a way this made the entire situation even more unbearable. She needed to know how sure he was, how ready to commit, how much he owed her his life. She had to know how much he desired her, right? How could she not notice the recent progress he had been willing to allow, them sleeping in the same room (naturally, the inflatable mattress wasn't the most romantic choice in the world but considering that girls weren't actually allowed in his room, he had considered the offer to be quite ... an offer?), them touching each other quite ... delicately .. surely she knew he wanted her, right?

Or she didn't. Which is why he had just had an unpleasant and sad conversation with his girlfriend who had declared a little distance from him was what she desired to re-evaluate her choices. Re-evaluate him also? No, that couldn't be. She had said she loved him.

'But I love her, too', Sheldon thought, 'why can't she see that?"

"Whatever you're thinking about, you're doing it pretty loudly!" Sheldon heard the voice of his roommate, and turned around, shell-shocked, the small box with the engagement ring still in his hand, open.

He struggled to find his voice and then said: "Should you not be in Vegas?"

* * *

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**_ See, I kind of wanted to be among the first to actually voice my thoughts in fan fiction and it appears I've done it. Please note that the spoilers are out there if they want to be found - still, I have no intention to harm the interest of the network, the creators, writers, cast or crew of the Big Bang Theory by writing my own piece of art as it is in my head right now. If one of those entities felt the need for me to remove this piece of fiction from this website, I'd happily do so upon request, no questions asked._

_Also, if you've been lucky enough to be in the audience for a taping, don't go on and complain about what you've seen toward cast and crew on social media. Wait until the show has aired, go on and let them know you're disappointed if you must. Just don't do it the way I mentioned. Keep it amongst fellow fans if you feel the need to vent or rant or whatever. Kay. Thanks. Bye._

_Lastly, I don't know where the writers will be going with this. This is just my very own take at how this might develop._

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Warner Bros., CBS Television, Bill Prady, Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and all respective other rightful owners. No copyright infringement intended._

* * *

**Previously on The Transgression Acclimatization...**

_'But I love her, too', Sheldon thought, 'why can't she see that?"_

_"Whatever you're thinking about, you're doing it pretty loudly!" Sheldon heard the voice of his roommate, and turned around, shell-shocked, the small box with the engagement ring still in his hand, open._

_He struggled to find his voice and then said: "Should you not be in Vegas?"  
_

* * *

"That is a valid question," Leonard responded matter-of-factly and tossed his small-sized overnight bag onto the couch, cautiously eyeing his roommate expecting a snarky comment about the contents of the roommate agreement and the need to throw bags onto any surface one wants without permission. As neither a response or a comment followed, Leonard took his time to examine his friend with scrutiny and it didn't take him very long to establish that he didn't like what he saw. Sheldon looked agitated and raw. And extremely sad.

"You alright?" he asked, just before his eyes fell upon the small object in Sheldon's hand. This couldn't be ... could it?

"Sheldon?"

"I'm sorry .. what?" a serious-minded Sheldon retorted, quickly closing his hand around the jewelry box, snapping it shot with an audible "click" that deepened the blush in his cheeks that had manifested moments before when he had recollected the incident on the very couch Leonard had just thrown his bag on. Sheldon couldn't help but look toward that very spot and his cheeks turned crimson-red. How she had tasted ... how she had felt against him ... how soft her skin had been ... how much he had liked it ... how he had gone for more ...

"For the sake of our friendship I could pretend I haven't seen what you're hiding in your right palm, but buddy, whenever you're thinking pretty loudly it is either about people that bothered you or it's about Amy. You haven't spoken to her in well over 24 hours so I guess it's the latter?" Leonard added, his voice soft and his attitude full of compassion. The first hand experience of Sheldon's quirks and struggles qualified Leonard Hofstadter to comment on issues his friend might be having and despite receiving a snarky remark from the fellow scientist, Leonard knew how fond his friend was of him.

"Why would I give jewelry to someone that annoyed me?" Sheldon quipped, trying to regain composure.

"I feel impelled to say it so I'll go ahead: Jewelry sometimes makes annoyed people like you again," Leonard retorted playfully but still eyed his friend with caution. He knew there was much more to the story but he didn't want to scare his friend off. Not when Sheldon's and Amy's relationship was concerned.

"I see," Sheldon said and shoved the small box back into his pocket. There. It was gone, no further questions asked.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Leonard asked, still tentative.

"Why don't you tell me why you're not married, yet?"

"When did YOU buy a ring?"

"What happened in Vegas?"

Both of them stared at each other, the corner of Leonard's mouth slightly twitching at the most likely unwanted and unintended reference to an idiomatic saying of sorts. Leonard snorted and then stared back at his roommate who stared back into his eyes, unmoving. They could either stare at each other for a little while longer or one of them could give in and start talking about the events that had lead both of them into this very situation.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh, fine," Leonard grumbled and closed his eyes in exasperation. Why was he always the one giving up first?

"Go ahead," Sheldon grinned, slowly regaining his overly confident self, despite still looking rather shaken.

"Penny and I had an argument," Leonard explained and started pacing around the room, "and even though we still thought eloping to Las Vegas wasn't a half-bad idea, we decided we better come home and plan this thing properly. It's still not going to be a super big deal but we decided we would at least want you guys to be there with us."

"An argument?" Sheldon's left eyebrow lifted itself up into a perfect arch as he continued to stare at his roommate. There must be more to the story, he concluded in his mind. Sheldon Cooper hated to be left out and he hated when he didn't understand situations properly. His mind drifted off towards his girlfriend and her sudden need for space from him. He swallowed and forced himself to focus on his friend instead of dwelling on things he didn't even comprehend.

"Yeah, I screwed up," Leonard admitted, "but we talked about it and we're fine. It just didn't feel right to sneak off to Vegas just shortly after such a conversation."

"I see. It was your turn, anyway..."

"Excuse me?"

"To screw up," Sheldon explained, "Penny accidentally got married when she had one of her alcohol-infused nights out. Even though that's hard to top, it was your turn again. It just was."

"And the box you're hiding in your pocket?" Leonard boldly threw in, annoyed at the last remark. He admitted he was waiting for Sheldon to bail and run off to his room and wanted to see if his question was going to make him leave. To his surprise, it didn't. Sheldon stayed.

"You see, I asked Gollum about that just a couple of minutes ago," Sheldon explained, earning a confused look from his roommate that he answered with a motion of his left arm toward his desk. When he saw Leonard nodding in understanding, he continued, "since he knows a thing or two about rings. He is a ring bearer after all. In retrospect I am not sure why I didn't start with a general overview on Wikipedia..."

"You're averting the question a little bit, Sheldon..."

"Okay, fine..."

"Fine?"

"I was going to give this to Amy very soon."

* * *

**_TBC_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes:** _I've neglected this and I am sorry. There you have the next installment and I hope you like it as much as I do. It's almost Thursday, right? Right? RIGHT?_

_All rights to The Big Bang Theory belong to their respective owners. I respect them and I love them for doing what they do. This chapter is a tad bit longer and I hope you guys enjoy!_

_Onwards..._

* * *

**Previously on The Transgression Acclimatization...**

_"You see, I asked Gollum about that just a couple of minutes ago," Sheldon explained, earning a confused look from his roommate that he answered with a motion of his left arm toward his desk. When he saw Leonard nodding in understanding, he continued, "since he knows a thing or two about rings. He is a ring bearer after all. In retrospect I am not sure why I didn't start with a general overview on Wikipedia..."_

_"You're averting the question a little bit, Sheldon..."_

_"Okay, fine..."_

_"Fine?"_

_"I was going to give this to Amy very soon."_

* * *

"Come again?" Leonard said, eyes widening, mouth agape after the unexpected revelation he had just heard. He slowly tilted his head in both directions to see if his ears were blocked. Nope. His hearing was just fine.

"You heard me correctly, Leonard. I was going to give this to Amy very soon" Sheldon brushed the matter off like it was nothing and turned toward the kitchen counter, "and I suppose since we're both a little rattled, a hot beverage would help soothe our nerves, wouldn't it?"

"Tea is not gonna distract me enough from what I just heard you say, you do realize that, don't you?" Leonard challenged his friend who just shrugged his shoulders.

"If you must..." Sheldon trailed off and started filling the tea kettle with fresh water, "you want chamomile? I just bought new tea. Chamomile has been Amy's favorite lately, I also got Red Zinger, Peppermint and if you're in the mood for a special type of extravaganza, I have rose-hip / citrus sorbet. It sounded very extravagant to me."

"Sure does," Leonard replied and continued to eye his friend thoroughly. He felt a huge paradigm shift had taken place within his best friend and he wanted to see whether he was needed as a friend, a listener, someone that might be able to give valuable advice.

"So you want that?" Apparently he hadn't made a proper choice yet.

"Yeah, why ever not, hit me up," Leonard said and earned a feisty grin from Sheldon. He raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"Careful what you wish for," Sheldon simply said and handed him the cup with the rose-hip / citrus sorbet tea bag in it just as the tea kettle blew its characteristic whistle.

"Said Sheldon to Amy..." Leonard muttered but damn his Vulcan hearing, despite the whistling tea kettle, Sheldon naturally had heard every word.

"Don't make this only about me, Leonard," Sheldon turned around and poured the water into the two cups, "... but since you should be in Las Vegas right now, a newlywed happily spending all your hard earned money on illogical gambling machines, I'll let that slide."

"Thanks," Leonard muttered and smelled the aroma rising up from the combination of the tea bag and the hot water. He felt calmer already and very thankful that Sheldon wasn't in the mood to argue or to mock him. This might have been due to the fact that he himself had an issue he wanted to talk about sans the mockery of Howard or the romantic ladylike squealed outbursts from Raj - Leonard appreciated the fact all the same.

"So ..." Leonard attempted a fresh start to the conversation, "how long have you thought about this?" His glance fell toward Sheldon's middle, indicating the jewelry box that was still hidden in Sheldon's pant pocket. Safely tucked away but nothing Leonard was likely to un-see. So Sheldon didn't even pretend the box and the ring therein didn't exist.

"For quite a while," Sheldon admitted, dipping the tea bag into his cup absentmindedly, "I think I realized pretty early on that if this ever became something I wanted to pursue then it would be with Amy. She is the only logical choice, you know?"

"I think I do," Leonard responded, taking a sip from his tea.

"She is so different to everyone else out there, Leonard, so different. Yet, she is so similar to me ... it sometimes freaks me out. But then I see her and I just .. don't. I just don't."

Leonard looked at his friend, misty-eyed and appreciative. Sheldon usually didn't voice his feelings or intentions towards other people and this sure enough seemed to be a big step for him, opening up like this. So Leonard decided to simply wait and see what his friend had to offer.

"You do know, what comes natural to other people doesn't come natural to me and I've always wondered why that was. With Amy I realized I could get used to all the things that came natural to others, hand holding, touching, kissing ... and then it didn't matter. With her, it just doesn't matter. She is no stranger to me, Leonard, she is someone I want to be around ... I am just not too sure she wants that, too. 'least not now." Sheldon admitted and dropped his head.

"What happened, Sheldon? Does she have a clue you had this little rock hidden in this very apartment for a while?"

"No ... no, it's not like that. She ... I never ... I never had the chance to think about how I was going to do it, you know? I like preparedness, I like to plan things and then ... it all spiraled out of control."

Sheldon looked lost. Leonard was lost. Both had another sip of their tea. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The smell of her lavender fabric softener filled the air and she drew one long, deep breath. Pieces of laundry were neatly folded on her bed, her small suitcase open and on the floor, the four top compartments of her chest of drawers opened, contents spilling out. She was telling herself she wasn't making and rushed decisions but failed miserably. On the other hand, she should not try and downplay the emotional distress she was in. Ever since her last - failed - attempts at an intimacy progress with her boyfriend, she'd begun to question her overall appeal and her own sexuality. Luring Sheldon into her bedroom with the Tardis as her door hadn't had the desired effect. The ever so clueless Sheldon had taken the opportunity to engage in cosplay and she had sat on the bed, dumbfounded how anyone could be so oblivious to obvious clues. Denied, once again.

The sleepover at Sheldon's place had been nice, admittedly, and learning that he valued her preparedness had had her heart racing in no time and a breathtakingly beautiful, glorious smile erupt from her lips. Hiding not only one but four "sleepover amenity kits" in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment had been her inside joke that had kept her going for the better part of three years now. She had known that the time would come, eventually. And when it did, she was ecstatic - just to find out that after all the careful planning, after hiding her belongings in their apartment, after considerate patience and controlled passion ... nothing were to happen.

They hadn't even slept in the same bed. Amy had stayed in the living room, a makeshift bed of blankets and pillows being her temporary sleepover home.

Even if they had slept in the same bed, she was pretty keen on assuming nothing would have happened anyways. So yes, she was getting too frustrated and it started to bother her. She felt denied, once again. Her naturally pretty substandard self-esteem hadn't recovered from the first blow, in fact, it hadn't recovered from every single blow she had ever received.

Talk about the fact that he'd interrupted a - to her - glorious makeout session on the brown leather couch in apartment 4A to talk about the internal struggle he had been having on whether or not to start a new TV series ... was that all that mattered to him? After all, she had been hot and bothered in no time, smiling excitedly at his willingness and eagerness to engage in a somewhat heated makeout session. It was a huge letdown to assume that he wasn't bothered by it ... at all.

Amy sighed at the memory, a sad expression on her face. She started to decide which items of clothing she was going to bring on the short trip to New York City and it bothered her that she was seeing a pattern. Again. Floral blouses, knitted woolen cardigans, tights and orthopedic shoes which, despite being comfortable and practical at the same time, admittedly didn't have a lot of appeal to them.

When Amy grew up, having friends had been high up on her agenda of things she had wanted to achieve but it had turned out she wasn't the type boys wanted to hang out with. She also wasn't the type that girls liked to have as a best friend ... or a friend in general. Amy had spent most of her time alone.

Denied.

Entering a circle of friends by happy accident (she had thanked Raj and Howard a couple of years ago for attempting to find a girlfriend for their friend Sheldon, unbeknown to the latter) and enjoying what she felt was a thriving social life, Amy desired one more thing - something her boyfriend wasn't able to give to her. She loved him, quirks and all. Just as she knew he truly loved her the way she was. A lonely, introvert and - she needed to be honest here - highly irritating person with the inability to respond to social conventions in a timely appropriate manner. As of lately, she started thinking about the possibilities that she had if she was dating a more normal man. Someone who wasn't afraid of commitment.

She was ready to commit to him, body and soul. It bubbled to the surface, it got her got and bothered, every date night was a true test for her determination to not jump her boyfriend and force him to be doing things he wasn't ready for.

Ready.

Would he ever be? Ready?

She had come to the point where she found it harder and harder to restrain herself and she wondered why her boyfriend wasn't affected the same way that she was. After all, he seemed to have enjoyed the heated kissing on their date night, didn't he?

'Oh my,' Amy thought, 'if I continue like this, this suitcase won't be packed by Christmas!' She resumed her task and forced herself to stop thinking about her ever non-understanding boyfriend. How he didn't understand how much of an effect he had on her went over her head. She was head over heals. He wasn't even finding his shoes, it seemed.

Maybe a weekend in New York City, attending a conference on Neuroscience, was what she needed. And more. She needed to evaluate her life, relationship and her expectations. She needed to find out if she was comfortable with never being as close to Sheldon as her other friends were with their partners. United in every way possible, mind, body and soul. She needed to think about whether she thought it was enough.

Somewhere deep inside she already knew the answer.

No.

She didn't want to be denied any longer.

* * *

_TBC_

_So Amy is going away to a conference, Leonard and Sheldon have deep conversations over tea - what's with the rest of the gang? You'll find out very soon! _


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:**_ Welcome to the next step of this adventure. I wanna address the fact that some reviews say that my chapters should be longer and normally they are. But I have a distinct idea as to when they should end and what they should feel like and that's what I am doing here. So ... yeah ;-)  
_

_There is a scene from "The Fortification Implementation" - There is an actual passage from the finale in here so you are warned once again! Damn you sneak peeks! _

_Now, continue ..._

* * *

**_Previously on The Transgression Acclimatization..._**

_Maybe a weekend in New York City, attending a conference on Neuroscience, was what she needed. And more. She needed to evaluate her life, relationship and her expectations. She needed to find out if she was comfortable with never being as close to Sheldon as her other friends were with their partners. United in every way possible, mind, body and soul. She needed to think about whether she thought it was enough._

_Somewhere deep inside she already knew the answer._

_No._

_She didn't want to be denied any longer._

* * *

Leonard knocked on his fiancée's door about thirty minutes after the last remnants of his tea had gotten cold and unenjoyable. He had put Sheldon to bed and assured him that things between him and Amy would be fine in the end. He had suggested that Sheldon used the night to sleep on what happened and then to approach the issue in the morning. Thankfully the clueless physicist had agreed and had gone to bed without causing too much fuss. Leonard nervously waited for his fiancée to answer the knocking.

"It's open! Come in, Leonard," she called out and he opened the door to find Penny sitting on the couch, her eyes fixed on the task at hand: her toe nails. Leonard stopped, shut the door, turned back around and chuckled.

"Something makes me think I am supposed to be helping here again, am I not?" he joked and earned a grin in return.

"Yeah, I guess. You know, it occurred to me that I can't get married with ugly looking toes anyway. This might have been a sign of the universe, huh?"

"Maybe? Who knows..." Leonard trailed off, sat down beside his fiancée and started to massage her foot without hesitation.

"You know? I am actually glad this isn't a big deal here," Penny said, leaning back and enjoying the well-meant and careful ministrations.

"I guess if it's expected that I forgive you to drunk-wed your ex-boyfriend, you can do this and we're even," Leonard said, an insecure undertone in his voice.

"Agreed," Penny said and nudged his arm, "thank you for telling me, though. Even if it was a little late, you decided to do the right thing. And I am glad you're not mad about the whole Zac-issue. We're good?"

"We're good," he confirmed and continued to rub Penny's left foot.

"Hey, how is Dr. Whackadoodle? Has the air cleared or is it still stormy between him and Amy?" Penny asked teasingly and turned her torso toward Leonard.

"Stroms and tornadoes, if you ask me..." Leonard answered and sighed. There were only so many limited ways to tell Sheldon what the problem was ...

* * *

_Penny was still mocking Leonard when they entered apartment 4A after their interesting adventure at the Farmer's Market. Sheldon turned around to them, his face solemn and worried._

_"Ugh, good, you're here. I need your assistance!" Sheldon said and turned around to face them._

_"Can that wait until I put a band-aid on a goat bite?" Leonard huffed, looking rather annoyed at himself. The pain being the secondary problem he was facing, humiliation being the primary issue he was clearly having. A goat? Seriously? His cute Nebraskan fiancée mocking him all the way back home, priceless! _

_Sheldon's mouth formed a big 'oh' - "What happened?"_

_"Ah..." Penny sighed and explained, "your buddy got mugged by some baby farm animals..."_

_Sheldon shrugged it of with a derogatory hand movement, "been there!" Penny grinned knowingly, hummed and let it slide._

_"So, what do you need help with?" she asked, coming full circle to his initial inquiry and moved closer toward him, to stress that she was indeed interested to hear about the struggle he was having._

_"Amy is mad at me and I am not clear why," Sheldon complained, one eyebrow raised. _

_"Okay, were you talking before she got upset?" Penny simply asked, the answer not a great surprise to her._

_"Yes!"_

_"Uh, that's probably it," Penny said knowingly, made a face and walked over to the kitchen counter to see how her fiancée was doing with the goat bite he had sustained. Sheldon raised his eyebrow even higher._

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

* * *

"So, did you find out what happened?" Penny asked eagerly. She knew it wasn't easy to get answers out of the brilliant mind of Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper when it came to social interactions let alone his love life but if anyone was capable of forcing those answers out of him, it was surely Leonard.

"Not really, all he would wanna tell me is that they were enjoying their date night and then he was making a suggestion as to which TV series to watch next. That's all I got," Leonard said apologetically.

"Wait. What exactly does "enjoying their date night" mean?" Penny quipped, her excitement rising noticeably.

"I am not sure..." Leonard trailed off, really not being sure.

"Do you think he pulled some crap as to ask her which show to watch in the middle of ..." Penny suggested but then wasn't bold enough to finish the sentence.

"... sex?" Leonard finished the sentence but snorted, "I am pretty sure that wasn't it..."

"Yeah because we know who does life-changing things during sex in this building, don't we?"

"Veeeeery funny," Leonard grinned but his face turned crimson-red, "for the record, I still think it was romantic."

"Yeah. You and no one else," Penny grinned but playfully nudged his side once again.

"Speaking of .. you know ... proposing..." Leonard hinted and Penny's eyes widened indefinitely.

"Shut the front door! He did not! Shut the FRONT DOOR!" She grabbed Leonard by the lapels of his shirt and shook his entire upper body ferociously. The sudden power she used to make him explain slightly frightened the physicist but what made it worse was the almost insane expression Penny wore on her face. Excited, insane. Maybe a little bit of both.

"No, no ... it's not what you think, relax," he managed to break free from her grasp and re-arranged his clothes.

"Relax?" Penny yelled in frustration and leaned back again, "you want me to relax and all I get is a 'speaking of proposals' line? Nope, I am so not taking it ... and if you ever wanna touch anything apart from my feet ever ... ever ... again, I suggest you tell me what he told you. And I suggest you do that _NOW_!"

Penny meant business. So he told her as much as he knew.

* * *

It took her the better part of two hours but the suitcase was packed, her nose was blown for the what felt like a hundredth time and yet Amy didn't feel better about herself or about the situation. She felt like she had invested her time, effort and her feelings into something that wasn't worth investing in.

Even if that was a very harsh thing to think. Or to say.

With Sheldon it tended to be a lot about action and reaction, she figured. When she reflected back on the times she had made the first move in order to provoke a reaction she realized ... indeed, it had mostly been her. At the top of her head she wasn't even able to name a singe situation in which Sheldon had desired her more than she had desired him.

Their sleepover maybe.

Yes, maybe that.

She had intended to end date night at a specific time as mentioned and agreed upon in the Relationship Agreement, had even set a timer in order to not cause too much of a delay for her notoriously punctual and rule-obedient boyfriend.

When Sheldon had asked to extend the night, she had felt extremely brave but seized the opportunity.

* * *

_"10 o'clock. Date night's over..." Amy said, a sad expression on her face as she got up from the floor and attempted to pull the blankets down._

_"But ... noooooo! We haven't picked a winner!" Sheldon exclaimed, disappointed._

_"We both know this one's gonna win!" Amy rolled her eyes at the inadequacy of his assessment of the situation. The entire 'Fort-Off' was bound to establish Fort Cozy Mc Blanket as the winner, duh!_

_"Well, of course we do! Fort Knox doesn't have a secret physics lending library..." Sheldon said, proudly, and lifted a blanked off a hitherto hidden shelf that contained scientific books on various matters of physics._

_Amy grinned appreciatively in return, "Come on, I'll help you take this down..."_

_"Uh, wait! What if ... just this once ... we suspend the date night parameters and you stay later," Sheldon suggested, his face showing an insecure but somewhat happy grin._

_Amy suddenly got bold, "Well ... as long as we're suspending the parameters ... I could stay really late and we could have our first sleepover..."_

_"Thats a big step..."_

_"It's a big fort..."_

_"Very well. I will agree to a family-friendly, G-Rated boy-girl sleepover," Sheldon beamed at her._

_Amy wasn't convinced, "PG, some scenes may be too intense for younger viewers."_

_Sheldon tried again: "G-Rated with a warning for families with babies and toddlers."_

_Amy reflected upon this for a moment and then grinned, "You got yourself a sleepover!"_

_"Do you need to borrow a toothbrush or pyjamas?"_

_"Would it alarm you to know that I hid those things here two years ago in case this ever came up?"_

_Sheldon's eyes widened in shock but then he said, "It would but you know how much I admire preparedness..." Amy beamed at him, apologetically but she was really excited that he had taken the news so well._

_"How did you know we'd be in the living room?"_

_"Who says this is the only one I hid?"_

* * *

So much for preparedness.

She felt as if she had been prepared for the better part of a couple of years now, despite the fact that she was absolutely clueless as to what she felt prepared for. She had gotten bolder, Sheldon had gotten bolder but they were nowhere near the level of intimacy she secretly and not so secretly desired.

Her boyfriend made all kinds of jokes about coitus, he knew the general concept of it and as a little birdie - Penny - had told her, he hadn't ruled it out, yet. That didn't give the entire thing a time stamp all together so Amy couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever be brave enough to admit his intentions to her.

She took a final look at the packed suitcase, reached for her passport and put all the necessary items for her flight into the living room and next to the door.

She needed to know if he was just kissing her, because she was kissing him.

She needed to be sure that he wasn't doing things because he felt obliged to doing them.

Was he kissing her because he wanted to and because it felt good doing it?

She needed to assess the situation. Alone.

Amy pattered back into her bedroom to get ready for the night. Her alarm was set to 6.30am. 'Bring on the tossing and turning', she frowned before she grabbed her nightgown and made her way into the bathroom.

The constant rejection had left a mark on her. She had always tried to suppress her anger, to ignore the snippy comments about their non existing sex-life, the constant reminders that she didn't appear good enough for him in that respect.

* * *

_TBC_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** _Happy Hiatus 2015 everyone! So by now most of you will have seen the season finale and admit it, you got as weepy as I got, right? I think at some point there were whale noises! Jim's insane talent baffles me every time he acts the crap out of a scene like this and Mayim did an awesome job as well. Overall I think we saw some great acting this season, especially from Simon Helberg (such a sweetie!)._

_Let's stay strong here, let's be an internet hiatus-support-group. May this small piece of fiction help you during the summer :*  
_

_I turned parts of the episode into what Leonard and Penny talk about here, just because I started this before the episode aired and I didn't have all the dialogue at hand, obviously. Hope you don't mind the flashbacks to previous episodes but I think they're necessary. :*_

* * *

_**Previously on The Transgression Acclimatization...**_

She needed to assess the situation. Alone.

Amy pattered back into her bedroom to get ready for the night. Her alarm was set to 6.30am. 'Bring on the tossing and turning', she frowned before she grabbed her nightgown and made her way into the bathroom.

The constant rejection had left a mark on her. She had always tried to suppress her anger, to ignore the snippy comments about their non existing sex-life, the constant reminders that she didn't appear good enough for him in that respect.

* * *

"So what you're saying is that Sheldon and Amy were making out on their anniversary and then he pulled some crap about a TV show?" Penny asked, her feet still on Leonard's lap. They were waiting for the top coat on her newly baby pink toe nails to dry.

"Almost, yeah," Leonard admitted, looking down and inspected his work. He grinned his cheshire cat grin and turned toward his fiancée.

"So...?"

"So basically when you left us and had gone to the apartment to get me a band aid that was actually big enough to cover the goat bite I had heroically sustained..."

"Hero...what?" Penny mocked him and laughed.

"Heroically! Despite the non-existent goat powers which I am just not getting because you insist that being bitten by a goat doesn't give me the powers of a goat, I still think I tried to defend our groceries like a true hero!" Leonard stated, convinced.

"Well, if the emphasis lays on 'tried to defend', then yes, yes you did!" Penny grinned widely and slowly moved her feet off of Leonard's lap and onto the floor. She got up and waddled toward the kitchen counter to pour them a glass of red wine.

"Who is being mean now?" Leonard pouted but soon after grinned and nodded at Penny's unspoken question if he, too, would like a glass of wine.

"So, I went over here and then Sheldon spilled the beans and you didn't think I would like to know?" the attractive blonde grumbled.

"Who is nagging now?" retorted Leonard.

"Fine! Go on then..."

* * *

_"What did you say to her?" Leonard asked as soon as Penny left the apartment to fetch him another, bigger, band aid._

_"I just asked her if I should start watching the new Flash TV series?"_

_"And that made her angry?" Leonard asked, still occupied with the bruise._

_"Baffling, right? We were necking like some hooligans under the school bleachers," Sheldon said and gestured towards the couch, "I stopped so I could ask the question. Next thing I know, goodbye kissy face, hello jelly face!"_

_Leonard looked up, baffled by Sheldon's inadequacy to understand and process the situation. After all, he and Amy were together for five years now. Also the rest of the people in Sheldon's life were in committed relationships. If his friend hadn't picked certain things up by now, it was probably too late anyways._

_"Sheldon, when you're kissing a girl she expects the attention to be on HER..."_

_"It was!" Sheldon replied, convinced he had still done the right thing, "I asked her if she thought I should watch The Flash!"_

_Leonard knew that in Sheldon's mind this whole scenario made perfect sense but was also convinced it hadn't made as much sense for Amy._

_"I'm gonna guess that your main concern is the time-comittment of watching an entire season of a TV series..."_

_"Oh not just the season. If I am in, I am in for the whole run, even if the quality declines..."_

_"I get it," Leonard said sympathetically, "Smallville almost wrecked you."_

_"I know right?"_

_"But still, Sheldon, I don't think it is a particularly smart move to talk about television on your date night. Let alone your anniversary..." Leonard said and looked at his best friend. He could sense Sheldon had no clue what he had done wrong, despite the emphasis on his failure, not Amy's. How Amy had been able to hold on to the relationship for so long was something Leonard hadn't really fully understood but he admired her for her patience. Still, it was a matter of time before Sheldon's inadequacy to understand how hurtful his remarks tended to get would impact Amy to a degree she couldn't ignore any longer. Maybe this was the straw that broke the camel's neck._

_"Don't you see? I needed to ask Amy for her opinion on things."_

_"Well, yes, and when you tell me those things I can relate because I know how invested you can get in a TV show but Sheldon, she doesn't understand these things, you know?" Leonard said, trying to help._

_"You're right, she doesn't," Sheldon brushed it off and turned away from his friend._

_"Which doesn't mean you haven't screwed up here, Sheldon," Leonard said matter-of-factly but didn't get a response. However, Sheldon's face fell at the realization that Leonard was, indeed, right._

* * *

"Whoa," Penny said after she had emptied her glass of wine in one go, "he is painfully oblivious, isn't he?"

"It's never been this bad I daresay," Leonard said and looked at his fiancée who had helped herself to another fill of her wine glass.

"What is he going to do now? I mean, ring and all?"

"I have no idea. I told him to sleep on it and then see what he wants to do."

"He needs to step up his game, seriously..." Penny gritted her teeth, thinking about how hurt her friend must be.

"It is Sheldon after all," Leonard answered, "you have to consider the possibility that he can't."

"You think I should call Amy and ask if she is ok?" Penny replied, concerned.

"I don't think she is," Leonard said quietly.

"Let me call her and make sure. Poor Amy. She's so patient and so brave..."

* * *

Amy had just changed into her nightgown and had gone back to the living room to make sure she had not forgotten anything during the packing process, checked her bag placed next to the door, her carry-on luggage next to it and her travel documentation on the kitchen counter next to her watch and her wallet and then sighed in satisfaction. It was all done, all packed up. It was as if she was leaving something behind, it sure felt like it. If anything, this trip would serve as a welcome distraction and as a provider for much needed actual space between her and her boyfriend. Or boyfriend on-hold?

She was about to go back into her bedroom in order to go to bed for the (short) night's sleep as her mobile phone rang, the lively tunes of 'The Way You Look Tonight' identifying the caller as her best friend, Penny.

"Hey," Amy said cautiously as she picked up the call. Naturally her best friend must have heard what had happened in the mean time. How her callous boyfriend had mentioned starting a new TV show in the middle of a make out session on their couch. A make out Amy still could not believe actually happened. Yet, a little more than 24 hours ago it did. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Hey Amy, I am just calling to make sure you're ok," Penny cautiously announced the reason for her late call. So she knew.

"Hey, yeah, thank you. Doing ok. I will be at a conference over the weekend so I just got done with packing..." Amy trailed off.

"Oh, a conference? Wow, that sounds great!" Penny replied with a little too put-on enthusiasm in her voice, "what's it on?"

"It's going to be about the effects of sleep on a person's brain, actually quite fascinating," Amy explained and her face lit up. She enjoyed talking about her field of study and just recently she and Penny were able to talk about it a litte more thanks to Penny's new occupation and the knowledge that she had to adopt in the process of becoming a successful pharmaceutical sales representative.

"That does sound great," Penny replied, the enthusiasm less put-on and more genuine this time.

"It does, I wish it hadn't been so short notice, though..." Amy said.

"Do you really?" As most of the time, her best friend dared to ask the most pressing and most needed questions. Amy sighed. Inhaled and exhaled. And then replied to the query.

"No," was all she managed to let out before a wave of anxiety and sadness hit her full force.

"That's what I thought," Penny said, "listen, if you want me to come over, I'll be there in a heartbeat. I would have to grab a taxi or something but I would be there in no time, Amy ..."

"That's so sweet, bestie, it really is..." Amy answered.

"But?" Penny caught on to the tone in her voice instantly.

"... but I don't think it's necessary. There is nothing that can change the situation as it is. Not right now. Not tomorrow. Maybe not ever. Besides, I have quite an early plane to catch and if we indulged ourselves in alcohol-induced girl talk, I don't think I would make it." Amy explained and attempted a joke.

"You're probably right, that's more reasonable. You wanna talk when you get back?"

"Sure, I would love that," Amy replied, maybe a little too soon. Would she really love to talk about her relationship that dreaded to not go anywhere? Especially with Penny who could not keep anything a secret?

"Whenever you're ready, really..." Penny said, biting her bottom lip. It was heart-wrenching listening to the voice of her apparently heartbroken friend and at the same time it was a real struggle to not indicate that she knew about a certain golden ring that was now hidden in the top drawer of Sheldon's dresser. There was no way Amy was going to learn about this fact from her. No way.

"Is there anything else?" Amy asked, picking up the sudden silence that had quieted down the line.

"Oh, no, that's it. I was just going to call and make sure you're ok. Despite ... you know, Sheldon being Sheldon..." Penny trailed off, hoping to have disguised her knowledge well enough. Leonard raised an eyebrow at her, questioningly. She brushed it off with a gesture of her hand.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Amy decided to let it go.

"Catch you when you're back? Text me your flight details, I'll see that I pick you up? Will you be back on Monday?"

"Yeah, Monday afternoon," Amy replied.

"That will be fine, I have Monday off," Penny explained.

"You don't have to come all the way to the airport just for me..." Amy said, a sudden lump in her throat. If only Sheldon would be as considerate...

"I don't have to but I will," Penny simply said and then said her goodbye, knowing that Amy was close to being all chocked up. When Penny disconnected the call, Amy stared down at her phone in wonder. She had such a great best friend, indeed.

How did she deserve this?

* * *

Sheldon tossed and turned. Sleep was nowhere near. His mind was racing, a million thoughts all at one. And most of them were preoccupied with what had happened earlier that night.

_"Listen ... I've been thinking a lot about relationships and how difficult they can be and I..."_

_"I've been thinking about them too. Being your girlfriend is so challenging. Emotionally. Physically. I've been incredibly patient for years..."_

_"This isn't easy to say because ... I love you ... but I need some time to take a step back and re-evaluate our situation..."_

_"Oh."_

_"I hope you understand..."_

_"Ok."_

_"Bye Sheldon."_

Suddenly not only Sheldon's mind was racing but also his heart. He had to take into account that he might have lost Amy for good this time. Still, it made no sense to him as to why his wrongdoing in the matter was the key to the most recent situation.

His mind raced on. Sheldon kept tossing and turning until the wee hours of the night. Until it hit him.

* * *

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I am studying like a maniac. If you saved this as a favorite, please bear with me. I will get back to you with updates but it will take a while. For further updates you can follow me on Twitter at DanniiHey. Thank you. I fixed a continuity mistake in chapter 5. And spelling mistakes no one commented on. Phew! Also this chapter gave me a good time, researching departure terminals at LAX ...

Aaaaaaaand here is a longer one, reviews are always appreciated, yada yada yada...

* * *

_**Previously on The Transgression Acclimatization...**_

_"You don't have to come all the way to the airport just for me..." Amy said, a sudden lump in her throat. If only Sheldon would be as considerate..._

_"I don't have to but I will," Penny simply said and then said her goodbye, knowing that Amy was close to being all chocked up. When Penny disconnected the call, Amy stared down at her phone in wonder. She had such a great best friend, indeed._

_How did she deserve this?  
_

* * *

She got to the airport in the wee hours of the morning, praising the early departure time and the non-existent traffic toward Los Angeles International Airport. After Penny had volunteered to pick her up at the airport upon her return, Amy had decided to use a car service to be driven to the airport and be dropped off at Terminal 7, where her non-stop flight to John F. Kennedy Airport would depart. The airport structure was busy and the air was humming with the noises of traffic, airplanes and the voices of thousands of people, making plans, talking about the breakfast they were going to get or the quest for the next available bathroom. Amy caught glimpses of their conversations as she made her way to the baggage drop-off of United Airlines. It didn't take long for her to find the counters that read "New York, JFK".

"Good Morning," she said, arriving at the counter.

"Good day to you and welcome to United Airlines, a member of Star Alliance" the blonde assistant said and smiled a courteous but somewhat forced smile. 'I would do that, too', Amy thought, 'considering how early it is and how often I would have to say those carefully selected welcome words...' She didn't even dare thinking about her own appearance and quite frankly, she didn't care. She had tossed and turned for the better part of the night, her mind racing as wildly as her heart remembering how much of a step it had been to finally come out in the open about her frustration. The look on his face ...

"Please place your bag on the scale, thank you."

"There you go," Amy sighed as she lifted her suitcase onto the scale that was built into the baggage conveyor belt.

"That's fine," the United assistant told her after the bag was weighed and a baggage tag was attached, "JFK? Business or leisure?" Amy handed her passport to the assistant and waited for it to be checked.

"Business," Amy replied, quietly, "I am attending a conference."

"Ah, yes, Dr. Fowler, I should have guessed. Well, I hope you enjoy the flight and have a pleasant stay. I hear the weather is quite nice in New York at the moment."

"That's certainly helping," Amy said and a small smile crept onto her features. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

Once she had made sure her online check-in had been registered correctly, Amy quickly strode toward the TSA security area to give herself a head start. Whenever she needed to travel somewhere, she liked to make sure to be as early as possible. Especially after the pat-down-incident almost two hears ago, she wanted to include an extra thirty minutes just to be sure...

* * *

_"Guess who!" Penny's voice had echoed through the apartment and Leonard, Sheldon and Howard looked up, flabbergasted._

_"What are you doing back?" Howard asked._

_"That's an excellent question," Bernadette quipped, an annoyed undertone in her voice, and she turned her head around to her friend while striding through the apartment, "... Amy?"_

_Said neuroscientist stood in the door, holding the door knob with her left hand, still unsure whether to close the door or to leave it open in order to make a fast escape._

_"Ah well ... when we were going through security I got pulled out of line for a pat down. The TSA agent got a little handsy ..." Leonard looked up from the D&amp;D game, wearing a curious expression. Sheldon was already staring at his girlfriend._

_"...I may have broken her nose with my elbow..."_

_Leonard's mouth formed a silent 'oh' and Sheldon shook his head, not believing what he just heard._

_"Long story short: She is on the no__-fly list and we might have been followed here by a drone..." Bernadette explained their sudden return._

_"I'm sorry! I feel like such an idiot!" Amy confessed._

_"No, it's not so bad..." Penny said nonchalantly, "you lost money, you're filled with shame and you got groped by a stranger. I mean, that's Vegas, you nailed it!"_

_Amy flinched. "You guys enjoy your evening, I'm gonna go before I ruin everybody else's weekend..."_

_"Ahhhhh, that's my girl!" Sheldon said and Amy's face twisted in pain at the comment. Sometimes it was hard to believe she had fallen in lo... she had a thing for Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Had it not been for Leonard to save the situation, Amy would surely have gone home and play the harp to cure her disappointment._

* * *

Amy was suddenly transferred back to the here and now by a grim looking TSA agent who had called her to move forward. Daydreaming, Amy had not heard her the first and second time and judging from the annoyed undertone the third call had had, she better not made it to four times. The no-fly list was not an option if she wanted to make the conference. Breaking someone's nose with the elbow wasn't, either.

An uneventful twenty minutes later Amy found herself at the departure gate and decided to use the restroom as it were only thirty minutes until boarding. Once she came back and washed her hands, she dared to look at herself in the mirror. She cringed at what she saw there. The only thing she found to look acceptable was her hair which she still brushed until it shone and glistened in the light. The rest of her face didn't cause any delight for the neuroscientist, none whatsoever. She looked pale in the strange lightning of the airport bathroom and the deep, dark circles under her eyes told a very telling story about how much sleep she may or may not have gotten in the last 48 hours and even before then. Her eyes looked slightly puffy, too. She had cried after the Skype call had disconnected, there was no denying that she had.

"Rough day?" a female voice addressed her and Amy looked right to see who had spoken. An attractive redhead examined her, her shoulder-length hair carefully dressed into a sea of waves and curls and her bangs pinned back with two golden bobby pins. She wore little to no makeup and looked well rested and much more alive than Amy felt. A sudden envy filled Amy's heart but she brushed it off internally. The other woman hadn't walked a mile in her shoes. There was no use in comparing them, at all.

"Days," Amy replied and focussed on the plural when gritting the word out.

"Ah, bummer," the redhead said and applied a small layer of lip gloss to her bottom lip, then smacked upper and bottom lip together to distribute the layer evenly, "will you be having a better time when you go where you're going?"

"I certainly hope so," Amy grinned, feeling a wash of sympathy for the other woman.

"Well, I hope you do!" The woman said, warmly. Her eyes sparkled and she looked like she was enjoying her early start of the day.

"Thank you. That's sweet!" Amy replied, unsure what else to say. If there was anything else left to be said.

"My name is Bonnie," the redhead said, and turned toward Amy.

"Amy," she replied and shook the outstretched hand Bonnie had offered her.

"Where are you headed?"

"A neuroscience conference in New York. My weekend will be dedicated on sleep," Amy replied.

"And you expect to find that at a conference?" Bonnie stated, matter-of-factly.

"Good point, I guess not," Amy said, not reacting to the underlying bluntness of the other woman's question.

"I am headed to New York as well. I work as a talent scout and I was made aware of two possible future stars in the making. My cousin owns a very nice spa on the Upper East Side. I can't offer you a good night's sleep and quite frankly I tend to sleep even less when I go over to the Big Apple but I can offer you relaxation. I am sure my cousin can hook you up with a nice downtime." Bonnie offered and Amy blushed.

"That is very kind," she replied, shyly, "I could never..."

"Yes, yes, you can totally take my offer. And I think you will," Bonnie smirked.

"But ... you don't even know me!" Amy stated, still unsure what to make of the situation as a whole. A random stranger in an airport bathroom offering a spa trip ... just like this? When did that ever happen? Especially when the gorgeous Penny wasn't around to score the freebies...

"I don't, you're right," Bonnie smiled, "but I do see when someone could use a break."

* * *

"Do you think you got this?" Bernadette quipped as she observed Howard and his attempt to carry the groceries into the house. They had decided on an early start this Friday, partly to avoid Stuart and party to be done with food shopping before everyone else did it.

"I am fine," huffed Howard, entering the house and carrying two big grocery bags.

"Here, put them down in the living room, I'll take care of the contents," Bernadette offered and her husband gratefully obliged.

"Stuart gone?"

"I think so," Bernadette whispered, "but let me make sure..."

"STTTTTUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAARTTTT?"

Howard stood, his mouth agape. His wife did sound a lot like his mother. Not that he dared mentioning this fact ever ... ever again. Still, their voices had a strange resemblance as did their characters. He wondered if anyone else ever noticed...

"Nope, no one there!" Bernadette quipped and carried the first bag into the kitchen.

"You think we should try talking to him again?" Howard asked.

"Aaaaahhhh," Bernadette growled as she re-entered the living room, "I just don't know. Timing's off again, it's so close after his birthday. I'd say we wait just a little while longer. I agree, though, we do need to talk about living arrangements..."

"We could hook him up with Sheldon..." Howard grinned, the devilish plan being on his mind for quite a while.

"Don't you think Amy would have a problem with that?" Bernadette asked her husband and stared at him in disbelief.

"It's a logical choice. We'd have the house for ourselves and Sheldon gets a new roommate. Problem solved..."

"I repeat: Don't you think Amy would have a problem with that?" Bernadette got impatient and her voice stressed 'that' more than necessary.

"I thought you wanted to have him gone? That'll get him outta here..." Howard said, still defending his idea despite the glances he got from his petite wife, "besides, Sheldon is going to need a new roommate. There is no way he is going to let Amy move in..."

"You don't know that," Bernadette said, taking her friend's side now.

"Oh, please, Bernie, that man is incapable of living with anyone that won't accept his rules and his rules alone. How long have you known him now? That's never going to change. He is never going to change. Remember? No one sits in his spot!"

"There is no way I am allowing you to suggest Stuart as a new roommate for Sheldon," Benadette said in a tone that didn't allow any contradictory statement so Howard knew better and shut up for the time being, "I don't want to hurt Amy's feelings."

"You know, I think Sheldon does a pretty good job at hurting her feelings on his own. She should be used to that by now."

"Howard!"

"What? It's the truth, isn't it?"

"That doesn't make it a nicer thing to say," Bernadette said quietly.

"Agree," Howard look at his wife who stood in the middle of the living room, motionless and lost in thought.

"You're scared for her, aren't you?"

"Of course I am," Bernadette said, "she has put up with him for five years now. She is a wonderful human being, quirks and all. I think she deserves better than to be treated the way Sheldon treats her sometimes."

"Not everyone can be as good as a husband as I am," Howard stated and earned an elbow blow from his wife.

"Don't push it, Howard."

"Ouch, what have I done?"

"You pushed it. No such thing as suggesting Stuart as a roommate for Sheldon, understood?"

"Aye, Ma'am," Howard said and rushed off to the car, merely escaping another coming blow.

* * *

"Hurry Leonard," Penny shouted and got an unintelligible mumbling in response, "there is no way you're in the shower for longer than I am!"

Shaking her head the blonde made her way into the living room and started to clear the wine glasses and two empty food containers.

'Knock, knock, knock'

"Penny and Leonard."

'Knock, knock, knock'

"Penny and Leonard."

'Knock, knock, knock'

"Penny and Leonard."

Speak of the devil! Penny sighed and shouted, "coming!" She went to the apartment door and opened it.

"What's up, Sheldonoscopie?"

"Hadn't we agreed not to mention my drunk-dialling ever again?"

"We had but I've decided to ignore that," Penny grinned. Sheldon's brow furrowed in confusion and a slight notion of anger. He calmed down before he could identify himself as a hot-blooded human being but Penny registered, nonetheless.

"So? What's up?"

"I think I need your assistance," Sheldon said. Penny's eyes widened. It was coming, the great Dr. Sheldon Cooper was asking for her advice on how to win Amy back and propose to her and ...

"I'm sorry what?" Penny quipped, wanting to hear Sheldon admit to need her help once more. It was a lovely sound, she needed it again.

"I am going to need your assistance," Sheldon repeated, one brow raised at the in comprehensive blonde in front of him.

"Sure. What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to help me set up an announcement. I will have to start looking for a new roommate soon," Sheldon said, stubbornly?"

"I'm sorry ... _WHAT_?"

* * *

**TBC**

I know, not what you had in mind, eh? Don't forget, this is Sheldon we're talking about ...


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** With no further ado, let's dive right in, shall we? Reviews are golden ;-)

* * *

_**Previously on The Transgression Acclimatization...**_

_"I am going to need your assistance," Sheldon repeated, one brow raised at the in comprehensive blonde in front of him._

_"Sure. What can I help you with?"_

_"I was wondering if you wanted to help me set up an announcement. I will have to start looking for a new roommate soon," Sheldon said, stubbornly?"_

_"I'm sorry ... WHAT?"_

* * *

There had been numerous instances in which Penny had been at a loss for words. The moment when there was just no proper way to respond to a thing someone else said, someone else did or that just happened ... the sheer inability to comprehend and process the sentence she had just heard left her empty and befuddled, especially after the request her friend Sheldon had just made. She was gobsmacked, the highest possible level of gobsmacked.

"I am sorry ... but ... what?" she pressed out, her voice strained from holding back a furious cry of disappointment.

"It's the only logical choice," Sheldon said, matter-of-factly. He stood in the doorway, no emotions visibly displayed on his face but Penny just knew better. She knew him way better than he may know himself.

"No, sweetie, it's not," she said calmly and ushered him inside. He followed her into the apartment and sat down on his usual spot on her couch. Just in that very moment Leonard emerged from Penny's en-suite bathroom, drying his hair with a towel.

"Penny, have you seen my inhaler? I must have forgotten it in the living room somewhere?" Leonards voice sounded strangled from under the towel and he rubbed his scalp a little harder as he waited for her to reply.

"It's right here, sweetie," Penny said and handed the inhaler to her fiancée. It was just then that Leonard noticed his roommate sitting on the couch.

"Everything ok, buddy?" he asked, looking at Sheldon.

"Of course, why would I not be okay?"

"That's not what I asked..." Leonard said and then spotted the way Penny was now leaning against the kitchen counter, arms folded in front or her, a stern look on her face. This automatically alarmed the reserved physicist and he shot his fiancée a questioning smile. Penny nodded and smiled at him before she turned toward Sheldon and said:

"Sheldon, sweetie, I think it is time for us to sit you down and talk to you about some things..."

"I don't think that's necessary," Sheldon said, brows furrowed in confusion, "how many times do I have to tell you that the things that I need to know ... I know already. I don't see the point ..."

"The point is, Sheldon, that you can't possibly be looking for a new roommate," Penny interrupted his too monotone appraisal of his own abilities, "besides ... did it never occur to you that apart from a random stranger that might show up when you start looking for a new roommate there might be someone else that would be willing to move in with you?"

"I still don't see how that's not a good idea, Penny, since Leonard was a random stranger once, too! And look what he has become!" Sheldon turned around and beamed at his best friend, clearly fully oblivious to the point that Penny was trying to prove.

"Listen buddy, I don't think that's the point here..." Leonard repeated and tried to save the day but unfortunately Sheldon still didn't get the too subtle hints that there was an all too obvious problem with the roommate idea.

"Well, then why don't the two of you start telling me what the point is instead of beating around the bush like hippies around a sixties campfire!" Sheldon pressed out, the fury at himself clearly audible in his strained voice. Whenever situations like the present occurred, he felt helpless and alone inside his great mind. Social conventions and patterns didn't make too much sense to him and he was still struggling to find the perfect way of co-existing with all these different people that confused him so, so very much.

Penny moved away from the kitchen counter and decided it was best to address the matter being on the same level as Sheldon was. So she sat down on the couch beside him and forced him to turn toward her. Leonard retreated slightly and fetched himself a bottle of water from the fridge. Penny still had a talent in not getting Sheldon skittish and he appreciated her willingness to broach the issue with him. He remembered one time that he had tried the same thing with the aid of an old-fashioned chess clock that was supposed to have them talk in equal proportions and required them to take turns. In retrospect it should not have surprised him too much that this had not turned out the way he had hoped it would. A shift of the attention from Sheldon and his problems to someone else's problems? Unthinkable.

"Sweetie, you can't possibly be looking for a new roommate when you ... and I can't believe I am saying this ... have a very impressive engagement ring hidden in your apartment!"

Sheldon sprang to his feet and turned to a abashed Leonard whose facial color suddenly turned to all shades of crimson.

"_YOU_! How dare you saying anything!"

"Relax, Sheldon, that is also not the point here," Penny had gotten up and gently pressed her hands into Sheldon's shoulders and motioned him to sit back down again.

"Well? Enlighten me!" Sheldon spat out, his eyes shooting daggers at his best friend.

"Sweetie, you don't get when you're being mean ... like ... _ever_," Penny stated and Leonard could not help but nod affirmatively, "and the part of your brain that is capable of understanding how mean you were is getting a wedgie from the rest of your brain, telling the responsible, socially aware part of you to shut up. Mostly that's fine and we are all used to it. Sometimes though, Sheldon, you cross lines. And judging from the fact that Amy flew to a conference in New York this morning ..."

Sheldon inhaled visibly and looked at his feet.

"... and you had no idea she wanted to do this, there must have been one line to many that you've crossed. Trust me, sweetie, you're going to have to buy a couple more rocks to make up for that," Penny concluded and looked at her friend.

"Rocks as in ..."

"Diamonds, Sheldon, diamonds!"

"I see."

"You see, Sheldon," Leonard carefully entered the conversation, desperately trying to avoid making his friend skittish and have him run away within the blink of an eye, "it is perfectly normal for you to think about several things at once because your brain is capable of doing it and you want to do it, right?"

Sheldon nodded, unsure where this was going.

"It's one thing to do that but it's another to be around with your girlfriend on your five-year-anniversary and then let the attention shift away from her. She will probably think you're incapable of focussing solely on her. That and your snarky side remarks you keep giving her to push her away ... I am afraid but you're the one who screwed this up, buddy..." Leonard carefully explained.

"You killed the mood!" quipped Penny and Sheldon made a face.

"That's what she said!" he mulled over the remark and mumbled unidentifiable words under his breath.

"We love you Sheldon," Penny said, her eyes starting to get teary, "and Amy loves you, too. She just needs to know she is appreciated, I think..."

* * *

_"Appreciate them!"_

Sheldon could have sworn he had not closed his eyes, yet he was back in the swamp land of Yoda's home planet, sitting on a stone, observing the mist in between the dark woods to emerge and retreat with any small whiff of air. The dampness of the air made him feel like he was close to the ocean and the sounds of the creatures lurking in the woods sounded oddly familiar.

"What am I doing back?" a familiar voice echoed through the small clearing and Professor Proton appeared, wearing the Obi Wan Kenobi bathrobe-type costume, carrying a light saber in his right hand.

"I am not sure..." Sheldon replied, despite being pretty certain as to why he had drifted off to a daydream in the middle of the day, triggered by something Penny had just said to him.

"Oh I think you know why I am here. And you know why you are here. Now ... why don't you tell me what happened so we can get this over with? I was so happily haunting my wife until you came along ... I wanna go back there as soon as possible," Professor Proton snickered.

"I am not appreciating them enough?" Sheldon asked, unsure.

"If you have to ask, what's the point?" the older men answered, still grinning.

"If this were so easy, I would have solved the problem already instead of escaping into a dreamworld swap land and talking to someone that is not even alive anymore ..." Sheldon hissed, immediately regretting his harsh tone.

"Fair enough," Professor Proton replied, sitting down next to Sheldon on the rock, "but we're still talking so it's not solved."

"Good point," Sheldon responded, his mind occupied with the search of a logical explanation to his latest escape to the Star Wars universe.

"Well, Sheldon, are you not appreciating them?"

"I am!" Sheldon replied all too early and the deceased child hero simply grinned a knowing grin.

"I don't think you are appreciating all of them...!"

* * *

"I am not appreciating her enough!" Sheldon almost screamed, blinked rapidly and turned his head towards Penny and then back to Leonard, both sat beside him on the couch now, looking worried and somewhat helpless. The daydream had made him realize that he had been, indeed, wrong. How could he have missed this? The truth glared at him from a poster the size of an advertisement hung at one of the casinos in Las Vegas.

"He got it!" Penny rubbed her hands and looked pleased.

"Sheldon?" Leonard asked.

"Yeah?" Sheldon answered, looking at his friend.

"You're not going to go look for a new roommate, buddy...?"

"No ... no, Leonard, I am not."

"Good ... good!" Leonard said, relieved that whatever happened in Sheldon's mind had let him to the right conclusion.

"I did kinda kill the mood, didn't I?" The physicist said and looked at Penny.

"If you guys were enjoying what you were doing and then you rambled on about how you are considering to start a new TV show ... yeah, probably. Why not enjoy it while it lasts? I am sure necking like hooligans under the school bleachers must have been fun..." Penny trailed off and judging from the small patches of pink color rising from Sheldon's neck, he had had fun alright.

"So ... what do I do now?"

Leonard and Penny looked at each other and smiled. The great Dr. Sheldon Cooper needed their advice. What a memorable morning indeed!

* * *

A little while later Bernadette had just finished paperwork on a new drug the company had put out for release when the telephone on her desk rang.

"Rostenkowski-Wolowitz?"

"Hey, it's me, Penny."

"Oh, hi Penny, you're not in today, are you?"

"Nuh, taken the day off," the former waitress replied lazily.

"What's up?" Bernadette asked. It was unusual that her friend called her at work, especially if Penny wasn't coming in on the same day.

"Listen, I need your help with something. But this is totally off limits for Howard or anyone else, are we clear?"

"As off limits as your ability of keeping secrets is?" Bernadette teased but the silence on the other side of the line got so deafening, she had to continue talking, "Ah, well, go on?"

"As I was saying, no Howard, no Raj, no Stewart, no Leonard and especially no Sheldon and no Amy..."

"Now we're talking? So this is going to be between me and you? Just the two of us?"

"You got it!"

"What is it then?"

"Listen, we gotta help Amy with something..."

* * *

The weekend passed by a lot quicker than Amy had imagined given the current state of her emotions. She had heard seven different talks on the brain functions, some of which were also her current field of study and especially one of the lectures had inspired to possibly tackle another angle in her studies, one she hadn't really taken into consideration earlier. On a professional level, Amy Farrah Fowler could be very satisfied with the outcome of the weekend, indeed.

On a personal level, not so much.

As soon as the evening hours approached, she got lonely, frustrated and sad. She missed Sheldon, despite being on a break from him. It almost ripped her heart out to know that she was on the other side of the country from where he was. Existed. Continued to live his life. Apart from her, alone. Amy knew that she had made the right decision. Staying with him for longer, in Pasadena, in California, would have meant equally as much pain and equally as much stress for her. The fondness for him would never be diminished, she was certain. But there was a limit to the pain she was willing to bear.

The level of tiredness she felt was getting to a point of no return. She was tired to explain to him, allover again, why she was disappointed, mad, sad, furious ... she was tired to explain how he attracted her and how she had to do a lot to keep it down in his company in order not to scare him away. She was tired of pretending she wasn't attracted to his very essence minus the constant bashing he never knew to control or to re-evaluate.

It had gotten to the point where she had to let Sheldon figure things out on his own.

Sending an application for the Mars mission without her knowing - not cool. Having to repeatedly tell Sheldon exactly this hadn't been the smartest and most considerate idea? Less cool.

Kissing him in a heated makeout session on the couch, wonderful, blissful, unforgettable. The mood killed by a remark on a new TV series and the question of whether or not to start watching it, totally not cool.

Maybe she had set her expectations too high. This was Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper after all.

It would probably be another couple of years until they were finally on the same page.

The phone rang and a startled Amy needed a few seconds to come back around.

"Fowler?" She asked when picking up the phone in the hotel room she had rented until the day after.

"Hi Amy? This is Bonnie! From the airport! Remember?" a friendly voice quipped through the receiver and Amy's eyes widened. She had given Bonnie her hotel, but hadn't expected the quirky redhead to call her.

"Yeah, of course I do," Amy responded quickly.

"Listen, I realized you haven't booked an appointment at my cousin's spa, yet! I was wondering if you're still interested? I am done with all my appointments for today and I thought I called in to ask...?" Bonnie trailed off, expecting Amy to answer her queries. The latter did not know what to say at first and just opened and closed her mouth like a fish in a water tank.

"Uh, I ... I ... I would love to," is all Amy managed to press out.

"Wonderful! I have a driver pick you up in an hour?" Bonnie suggested and Amy nodded. When she realized that the other woman couldn't possibly have registered that, Amy said:

"Sounds great, I am looking forward to it!"

"You better! You'll be a different person as soon as my cousin is done with you!"

"I am not sure if ..."

"Balderdash! It's gonna be fun!" Bonnie laughed and after a short goodbye, Amy hung up. This evening had taken an unexpected turn, apparently...

Just as she was about to head out, her mobile phone chimed and indicated a new message. Amy retrieved her phone from her purse and looked at the message that had arrived. It was from Penny.

_"I hope you're having a great weekend and the conference is very nice,_  
_ although I am sure there is little to nothing those weisenheimer can teach you._  
_You're most certainly smarter than all of them._  
_I hope you'll be able to understand brains sooner or later._  
_If you ever need help understanding the brain of a certain physicist,_  
_there may or may not have been an intervention today._  
_Hold on tight. Can't wait to see you soon! xo Penny"_

'An intervention?' Amy thought and re-read the message several times. What had Penny done now? She quickly typed a reply.

_"Conference is great, learned new things actually._  
_Was invited to a spa tonight. Headed there now._  
_Can't say no to a free treatment, eh?"_  
_Intervention sounds like it was necessary._  
_Tell me on Monday. Am off now. xo Amy"_

* * *

"Amy has gone to a spa..." Penny said, re-reading the message several times.

"Well, good for her," Bernadette quipped and poured herself a glass of red wine.

"Who would have known. As soon as she is in a different city, Amy get's all girly without us..." Penny complained but grinned.

"She deserves to pamper herself," Bernadette said, "besides, she said she was invited, huh? No girl says no to a free trip to a spa!"

"You're probably right..."

"Of course I am right," Bernadette said and nudged her friend, "now, what are we helping Amy with?"

* * *

_**TBC**_


End file.
